Australian held for molesting stewardess

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- A 37-year-old Australian has been arrested for molesting a Malaysian flight attendant in the third case involving unruly passengers on a Malaysian Airline System flight in two months, a newspaper said on Saturday.

The man, travelling from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur with his girlfriend, was arrested at Kuala Lumpur airport on Thursday night even though he had apologised to the stewardess, Reuters quotes the Star newspaper as saying.

The man had been remanded for six days for investigation, the paper said. Police and airport officials could not be reached for comment.

"The Australian, who had several drinks during the six-hour flight from Sydney, allegedly groped the 29-year-old stewardess's buttocks while walking back to his seat along the aisle," the Star said.

The man and his girlfriend apologised for the incident after an inflight supervisor approached them for clarification, but the captain had already contacted security officials at the airport.

On August 8, a 28-year-old Briton was arrested for assaulting a steward and threatening him with a knife on an MAS flight. In July, a 41-year-old Pakistani garment maker was detained for molesting two cabin crew members.